The Great Debate
Yes, it is I. Since I have Christmas break coming up, I thought I would start a little debate going. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (talk) 23:09, December 15, 2012 (UTC) (Realizes thats an HP quote) *facepalm* Lets Begin For the longest time, people have been debating this controversial subject: Harry Potter or Twilight? As a writing wiki, we should be skilled in not only story telling, but using words to get our point across. So why not debate the greatest topic of all times? Debating will teach us how to think quickly, and it's a great new medium of writing. Of course, I need two users who have read both books, each taking opposite sides. Then, I will need a panel of judges, who have read neither book. I couldn't possibly judge, for I am totally biased. I will instead narrate and lead the debate. The Rules Format For this debate, it will be user vs. user, one person per team. It will be in standard debate format- an opening statement from each side, argument from team 1, rebuttal from team 2, argument from team 2, and rebuttal from team 1. Then both sides will present a closing statement. The opening statements can only be two paragraphs (meaning 4-5 sentences per paragraph), and the argument can only be five paragraphs. The rebuttal will be three paragraphs, the closing statements two. This is so we can learn to be concise and to the point. At the end, I may or may not give the debaters additional questions to answer. Twilight will be Team 1, Harry Potter will be Team 2. Audience No vicious or personal attacks must be made on the other team, and all watching audience should refrain from making rude or disruptive remarks. The audience may not put in their own points, and cannot attempt to contradict the debaters. Any of the aforementioned will lead to disabling the comments. You cannot edit the arguments, for grammar, spelling, or anything, because it wil later affect the debaters. Any type of attempt to edit the debate to improve or detract from it will be punished accordingly, whether a chat ban or even a blocking, depending on severity. Debaters Both of you must present legit, valid, and sound remarks. You cannot attack the other book or team verbally. Points such as "because it has better movies" or other non-canon statements will take away from the main point. The franchise of the books is unimportant. Your points should be backed up by facts, and if you have an opinion you must state it as such. Irrelevance will take away from your team's score. Yes, it will be a scored debate. The strength of your argument is important, and you must have good reasons. Judges The judges must remain impartial, and have to be people who have not read either book. After the closing statements, each judge may ask a maximum of two questions per side, and then they must tell each side what the did that could be improved. The judges cannot be insulting, and all criticism must be constructive. Throughout the body of the debate, the two Or three (depending on how many I can find that will do the job) judges will remain silent, but they may discuss with each other in chat (preferably PM). They will judge the teams using the following rubric: Strength of Argument (40 pts.) Understanding of both books (10 pts.) Correct grammar and spelling (10 pts.) Ability to answer questions (20 pts.) Speaking and wording- is it concise, understandable, and powerful? (20pts.) Total score: _ /100 The team with more points will win. Both may get one hundred, and this means that they will both be asked more questions. The Debaters Representing Twilight will be: Representing Harry Potter will be: Judges Narrated by: The Amazing Nikki!